The journey begins.
Three friends. Two wheels. Six unforgettable days across Germany, France, and Switzerland.
In Part 1 of our cinematic motorcycle travel series, we kick off in the romantic town of Heidelberg, Germany, and ride through intense rain, fog, and rolling landscapes into the mystical Vosges Mountains. En route, we explore the historic charm of Colmar, a postcard-perfect gem in eastern France.
What to expect in this episode (Days 1 & 2):
• Motorcycle touring through Europe’s backroads
• Adventure riding in foggy French mountains
• Breathtaking drone views over the Vosges
• Rain-soaked roads, real conversations, and raw moments
• Travel through Heidelberg, Colmar, Belfort, and beyond
• A visual story of friendship, freedom, and brotherhood on two wheels
Whether you’re into Europe travel vlogs, motorcycle road trips, or just great storytelling with beautiful visuals—this series is for you.
Hit Subscribe to join us on the entire journey:
• Part 2: Swiss lakes, alpine passes, and soul-stirring rides
• Part 3: Germany’s Black Forest and the final leg home
Shot in Summer 2025 | Real riders. Real roads. Real memories.
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Instagram: [@dermotorradman]
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it started with a message a rough plan three
friends and a mutual itch for the unknown we didn’t know exactly what we were chasing
maybe mountains maybe Mormons but we knew it had to be on two wheels on April 17th we
left H Highleberg heading west towards the W three motorcycles six days three countries and
almost 2,000 kilometers of twists weather silence and joy we rode through narrow forest roads
over mountain passes drowning in fog past lakes so still they felt like the time had stopped and
through towns where no one spoke our language but the motorcycle always did the talking we weren’t
just riding machines we were chasing presence that rare kind of peace you only feel when your helmet
wiser fogs up and your mind finally clears this isn’t a how to or a travel tip list it’s a story
of camaraderie of grit of getting lost and just loving it welcome to our film Across Mountains
and Borders grab your helmet and let’s go for a [Music] ride guys thank you for being a wonderful host
so this is Mr rishab finally answering to that question this garage belongs to Mr rishab this
guy has the coolest bike in the lot the ZX 10R a very foggy and rainy welcome to 2025 riding
season this is your host Akshai Lotanker and off we are to the first ride of 2025 to France
we start our ride from Rishab House which is near H Highleberg and we go in the direction of
France this year surprisingly March and even the last half of February was quite of forgiving but
it was highly unpredictable so I could only ride for a couple of hours and then it used to get
really cold in the night i don’t mind if this is the weather if this is how the rains are going
to be just a light drizzle and the temperature is also good it’s 10° the problem starts when it
starts raining heavily or it is extremely windy suddenly the temperature plummets to four
five or six and then it’s really cold no matter which bike you on this is the kind
of setup what I am having today yesterday I mounted this bag vertically and I’m also
having a rucksack with me so I couldn’t sit properly so I thought this is a better setup
here comes our second rider Mr abash and his ZH2 finally so guys this is the third rider Mr manil hey
do side by side you see this is much more a little bit spread out I think so the geometry
on this bike is a bit more aggressive a bit more compressed I think so but obviously down
there the heart of this machine is a bit more chunkier a bit more powerful than the elder
sibling but the DNA is the same it’s the DNA of a GS really really grateful man last week I
rode with an M1000RR yesterday I rode with ZX10R and today I’m getting to ride with two of the
best bikes in the in their own segment the ZH2 with a supercharger and the GS300 so for the last
2 hours we have been figuring out how to connect a Cardo device to a non-Cardo device because Manil
has a Senna and we me and Abash we both have Cardo so somehow we figured that thing out and now we
are all connected it’s almost 12:00 we thought like our first break would have been at 12:00 but
that’s not the case now this is our first get to know ride with Manil so we have to understand our
riding patterns how he rides how we ride and yeah to come together in a sync yeah I hope it works
out and we turn out to be a more than temporary group which will be riding through Germany which
will be riding through Europe for 2025 and for the upcoming years the idea was simple ride into
France climb the Voj and chase some mountain roads easy enough except the fog had other plans
it started with rain not a dramatic storm no lightning just that relentless cold drizzle the
kind that sneaks into your gloves and stays with you three bikes three soaked helmets and about 300
kilometers of uncertainty ahead the streets were slick the sky was a heavy gray blanket no signs
of sun no warmth just the sound of tires slicing through water and the engines humming through the
silence so Manil so far how’s the ride amazing kind of a relaxing ride relaxing because of the
weather we want to rev our motorcycles but the weather is not allowing us also we learned today
that the land uses the country roads on France you can only ride up to 70 km per hour on the autoban
it’s 130 and then suddenly you have 50 for like 50 m and then 70 again that’s a bit uh more I
guess uh 1 one and a half hours we have to reach our destination and the destination the check-in
time starts from 5:00 so we got to align ourselves properly today connect our intercoms properly
because every 10 seconds Manil’s intercom is getting disconnected so I had to press a button
reset it and then Manil is live for 10 seconds with us right so whatever info he has to give
it’s 10 seconds and then it gets disconnected so we cross K’s road and the sky just closes in
thick clouds like we are riding through someone’s wet wool sweater visibility gone just follow
the faint tail light ahead and hope it’s not a mailbox [Music] then comes the best part called
the Udor a mountain pass for its views but guess what we saw absolutely nothing just white air
wet corners and breaks squealing through the mist temperatures dropped to 2° and then one it didn’t
matter anyways the cold was as it is a companion one we didn’t invite but we had to ride with but
weirdly I loved it because this this discomfort this madness it’s why we ride the cold the wet
the slow crawl through the misty mountain roads like call the duna it wasn’t just a ride it was a
fight against the weather against the fog against your own comfort zone By the time we reach Santi
devou we were soaked to the bone but smiling day one didn’t greet us with sunshine it tested us
and honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way it’s looking at me how beautiful hello this is
the Airbnb and the entire top floor is ours so it is really nice now it’s 7:00 we need to fetch
something to eat and all today was exciting we got a new rider with us with a new bike that was
quite exciting and he’s riding pretty well man i’m enjoying his company so for the next few days
this is going to be you know everything no office no expectations pure motorcycle driving and I care
a damn man whether it snows it rains it’s sunny i don’t give a damn those who know me
they know it’s only important that I am on these two wheels and these two wheels are
moving please stay tuned to the channel wait for the upcoming videos i hope you like
the content what I’m trying to make give your suggestions down in the comment box
like share subscribe [Music] [Applause] a very good morning to day two and here is how it starts a door to our happiness hey don’t
close us this is all what a rider needs some hot coffee in the morning
and to see his rides like this we were all positive about today that the roads
are going to be dry by 12:00 1:00 but looking at the weather it does not seem to be the case
mr manil good morning good morning how are you good charged up i’m very happy that the
bikes are safe that’s what I said that’s what I said oh this guy was one step ahead you
see there there he has put a lock as well now that’s obsession that’s a rider’s obsession
it’s a good obsession and see Z H2 off-roading man why don’t you put knobbies on your Z H2 Havash
now that we are already off-roading maybe you put a 19 in or a 21 in wheel in the front and
some 50/50 adventure tires and go for the Trans European oh my god that would be best the how
how I believe how the Indian vloggers do right first Hayabu side in Ladak first Hayabu side
Nepal so Abasan would be first Z H2 first [Music] Indian day two started in Santi Devo with
something we hadn’t seen the day before dry roads the rain had finally taken a break
and the skies gave us a moment of peace for the first stretch the ride felt light
easy a calm before the next climb for the last 15 20 minutes we have been riding
through such patches under the speed limit no curves nothing just a lot of zebra crossings
i hope we desert the city soon and we enter into the real curves here i’m just waiting that
thing to happen so finally I can see some curves i kid you not my face is freezing
i have opened my helmet and I’m riding and it’s 3° i just cannot close my
visor it’s all gone it’s all [ __ ] up come [Music] on my head has started paining how
long this has been 2 3 kilometers and look at my condition it is so damn cold it is so damn cold
wow this is fascinating guys but this is so damn dangerous my hands are frozen i just cannot feel
my hands the grip heating is on and even then I’m not able to feel my hands so I pity Abash who does
not have anything like this on his bike i wonder how he’s going to do it guys this is no joke this
is not at all for an amateur rider in fact even we did not expect that it’ll be this challenging
although it’s exciting but yeah we have to tell the truth right so it is extremely challenging
i am a bit nervous at this moment to be honest like 5 minutes ago I was complaining that I am in
cities I am in traffic and what has to be done why the curves aren’t coming and here they are 10 15
minutes of those curves and that kind of weather will just shake you apart will make you so humble
when you ride such a machine in these conditions and you overestimate it will just ground you
what a thrilling experience we rode through the sleepy towns soft curves flat countryside there
was a sense of relief like the worst was behind us breakfast was quick the spirits high then
came a detour that none of us had planned but we were glad we took manil had suggested Kolmar
and Kolmar was magic it felt like riding into a living postcard colorful timber framed houses
canal side cafes Easter decorations everywhere the town was buzzing with spring energy and the
smell of baked goods drifted through the lanes she offered us one and it was so damn delicious
that everybody just wanted to have more so that’s the confidence in your product what you should
have man forgot to mention the name of that shop so guys just take a screenshot of this but you
got to come here if you come to Kalmar yes [Music] sir poor people only this guy is loaded
you see this this guy I’m I’m trying to look as touristy as I can but it’s not working
although it’s good architecture good vibe good places around me but still I’m thinking about
the bike which is parked inside the garage and when we would be resuming the ride again we
spend an hour or two wandering like tourists with helmets in our hands and childlike
grins on our faces it was one of those moments where the ride paused and life showed
up but as always the road had more in store after leaving Kmar the terrain shifted again
the cities faded and the mountains returned [Music] [Applause] [Music] it’s 2° and I was busy flying the drone and my
hands are numb now the fingers are gone it’s burning moment you take a break the rhythm breaks
uncomfortable for me to ride in this weather i have to acquaint myself again to
the weather to the road the actual riding starts after maybe 5 to 10 minutes you
know after I’m used to the frame the road is so bad that I have to saddle it out else
my lower back would just take the damage to the trekers the hikers the cyclists
in this weather it’s no logic it’s no practicality just pure passion and
love for doing what they are doing you know greatness passion love sacrifice
it needs that craziness no normal person can do this thing because normal person
has the ability to spoil everything by checking whether there’s a logic in this
whether this thing is practical or not you feel that the hilltops would
be narrowed you know here you see the mountain tops are huge they
are flat it’s a big station on the top you have everything you have
restaurants you have the ski lifts [Music] The temperatures dropped fog rolled in
like a curtain and the visibility sank we were back in the thick of it twisting through
cold narrow passes where every turn demanded attention but something had changed
in us what had felt overwhelming the day before now felt familiar we
handled the motorcycle better [Music] heat up here [Music] short update uh still 1 and 1/2 hours of ride
left now it’s 5:00 we’ll be reaching by 6:30 or something and the second half of the day it has
been a darling darling darling day the curves the roads especially in this weather i have not
ridden the GS in such a manner and this is not any special effect or anything this is you see the
weather you see what I’m talking about look at this this is the road visibility is I believe for
150 200 m dangerous and thrilling at the same time it’s I cannot put it in words but this is playing
with your mentality adjusting your vision figuring out the road and at the same time the temperature
is 2° right now when I’m talking to you the temperature is 2° and yeah at one point of time my
hands were numb even now they’re numb but I don’t give a damn now so yeah this is how today has been
this was clear just couple of minutes ago when I arrived here this was pretty clear what about
your experience how’s the ride so far beautiful enjoying simply beautiful no complaints perfect
for the uh road today right and Abash to he’s the pro rider of the group with a pro bike with a pro
setup show your setup this is a setup now there is no logic there is no practicality right here but
it’s just pure passion when one person decides to ride on such bike with such a big bag hats off
to this guy who does it again and again playing games the weather is playing games with us and
I don’t know what to say i’m excited i’m nervous i’m thrilled i am happy i feel like I’m about to
cry at this moment we have been riding for so long right did we ever get such kind of a weather and
dry tarmac that’s the most surprising thing what I have that is true that’s so surprising april
always [ __ ] our rides you know it’s weather is but now I’m there’s so much of moisture in the air
right now and still the tarmac is dry the tarmac is dry it’s getting the grip that we want perfect
perfect and you see this forget us see this people this time we got to be careful now because the weather is really dangerous
because there’s extremely low visibility there will be patches i
know this because I stay in such a region that there will be patches where
the road visibility just goes out like this one so I’m quite of anticipating these things day two gave us contrast sun and fog city and
summits celebration and solitude but most of all it reminded us that no two days on the road
are ever the same and that was the beauty of it [Music] i don’t know if this is not the therapy what
everyone needs in his life then what could heal that person i just don’t know you see this here
it’s 11° now imagine where we were it was 2° and now it is 11° what the body has to go through to
get adjusted to such temperature differences today altogether was a surreal experience this this even
if we plan this will not happen the final stretch into Belffort was smoother partly because of
the roads were kinder and partly because we were tougher now we checked into our apartment parked
the bikes and let the fatigue settle in yesterday I forgot to give you a room tour so I thought I’ll
do this first this is our stay for the night this is one bedroom this is obviously it should be the
washroom man yeah and I don’t know what this is ah there’s one more bed oh it’s really flimsy yeah there’s one more bed here so
perfect perfect for the night
4 Comments
bhai acha bolta hai
Wow. Nice riding on country side roads.
Very Risky biking with low temperatures.
Roads were not good at all